Blast from past: 49ers to induct Soltau into Hall of Fame

On Twitter late Monday night, 49ers CEO Jed York offered two tickets the home opener to the first person to name the soon-to-be-announced 23rd member of the team’s Hall of Fame.

Bryant Young? John Taylor? Tom Rathman?

Nope.

Go back a few decades.

Gordy Soltau.

In a nod to their early beginnings, the 49ers will enshrine Gordy Soltau, 87, a pass-catching end and kicker who was a three-time Pro Bowler during a nine-year career (1950-58), which was all spent in San Francisco. Soltau led the NFL in scoring in 1952 and ’53 and ranked second in the league in receptions (59) and receiving yards (826) in 1951. After his retirement, he was the team’s all-time leading scorer with 644 points. He had 249 catches for 3,487 yards with 25 touchdowns.

Before attending the University of Minnesota, Soltau served in an elite branch of the Navy, the Office of Strategic Services, and became one of the original combat divers during World War II.

“Gordy Soltau epitomizes the qualifications we strive for when selecting inductees for the 49ers Hall of Fame,” York said. “His contributions to the 49ers organization and the National Football League are well documented … (He) has never been far from the game he loves, having served as the first President of the San Francisco chapter of the NFL Alumni Association following his playing career. Gordy’s commitment to the Bay Area community over the last 50 years is unmatched, particularly his effort with local youth.”

Soltau will be inducted into the Edward Jr. DeBartolo Sr. Hall of Fame on Oct. 13. He will be recognized during halftime of the 49ers’ game against the Giants at Candlestick Park on Oct. 14.

** The 22 members of the team’s Hall of Fame, which was established in 2009: